VFS Global is all set to host a webinar for the trade on Friday, July 3, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. The informative session titled ‘A Safe Restart – Your Safety, Our Priority’ will offer a glimpse into VFS Global’s plan as it gradually resumes visa services in India, while ensuring complete adherence to health and safety guidelines. To register, please contact jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +9650196532.

Admist the Covid-19 pandemic, the Uttarakhand government is focusing on generating more employment opportunities for the youth of the state. During the pandemic, the tourism department of the state has also started the online registration facility for the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Self-Employment Scheme and Homestay Scheme to make the benefits of government schemes available to more and more people. Secretary Tourism Dilip Jawalkar said that with the implementation of online application system, transparency will be increased and time will be saved as well as monitoring of the scheme can be done effectively. Applicants desirous of availing benefits under both these schemes will no longer be required to visit the department’s office. The registrations of both the above-mentioned schemes can be done online. Any Uttarakhand resident who wants to take advantage of this scheme can make their registration online by visiting the given link (http://vcsgscheme.uk.gov.in). This system will also allow real-time monitoring of the applications for both the schemes. Under the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Self-Employment Scheme for the youths of Uttarakhand, can start their employment by purchasing buses / electric buses to operate on the routes of the state and can avail 50 percent subsidy or up to 15 lakh for the purchase of bus the scheme. This self-employment scheme has been provided to the people of the entire Uttarakhand state. Buses will be operated only for the designated routes of the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation and for the inner city places. Along with this, it will also be mandatory that out of the places where buses will be run, the station to start or go to travel should be in Uttarakhand. To promote tourism in the state of …

Providing major relief to tour operators, Meenakshi Sharma, DG Tourism, MOT, has said that the ministry is liberalising the MDA scheme (both local & international) by giving certain relaxations in the required norms. MOT will soon announce the changes officially. During the virtual IATO members meet, the association also released a promotional video which members can use to market India and restart tourism.

Sri Lanka Tourism is hosting a Virtual Summit today at 3:00pm, where experts will talk about Sri Lanka’s readiness to restart tourism. To register, please email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +9650196532. Panellists include Arundika Fernando, State Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Sri Lanka and Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism.

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), has said that after the resumption of flights from Delhi Airport, the percentage of business and Visiting Friends & Relatives (VFR) travel is same as pre-COVID levels. Elaborating further, he said, “According to pre-COVID data, 15-20% of travellers from Delhi were business passengers and 34-35% were VFR, while the balance were passengers travelling for holidays. In the current scenario, we have seen that ‘holidaying’ has been replaced by people who are doing ‘distress travel’, which means those who are stranded are travelling. A good sign is that business travel is back at the percentage level at which it was in the pre-COVID era, and VFR is also back at that level. That shows the confidence that passengers are showing in the SOPs that MoCA has come out with after consulting with all stakeholders.”

When asked what it is that destination management organisations can do to facilitate business growth for their partner travel agents and tour operators, most respondents (83%) cited introduction of a health and safety certification as the most important criteria. The survey was conducted by Travel Consul, a leading international travel marketing alliance.

Having updated its event calendar for 2020-2021, PATA has announced that the upcoming PATA Travel Mart 2020, originally to be held in Leshan, Sichuan, China from September 3-6, will now be organised as a virtual event in late September of this year. The event, held in in conjunction with the Sichuan International Tourism Expo and with the support of the Leshan Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, will include webinars, virtual exhibition space and one-on-one virtual meetings.

In the financial results announced for the year ending March 31, 2020, Thomas Cook (India) has revealed that despite witnessing the growing impact of COVID-19 across its global network as early as January 2020, its consolidated revenue from operations grew three per cent from Rs66 billion to Rs68.3 billion. The tour operator has now implemented a comprehensive ‘Reimagine Program’ across businesses and processes to adapt to the COVID-19 era of travel. The group witnessed the growing impact of COVID-19 in January 2020 for the Hong Kong business, February for Thomas Cook and SOTC, and in March for the inbound business in TCI.

Sri Lanka Tourism is hosting a Virtual Summit on Monday, June 22, at 3:00pm, where experts will talk about Sri Lanka’s readiness to restart tourism. To register, please email to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +9650196532. Panellists include Arundika Fernando, State Minister of Tourism and Aviation, Sri Lanka and Kimarli Fernando, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Tourism.

Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that the decision on resumption of international passenger flights in the country will be taken in July, if COVID-19 behaves in a predictable manner and various stakeholders came on board with a plan.